So what will the time capsule from 2023 say, when they open it in 2123?
“Ladies and Gentlemen, we are about to open two time capsules – one an old piece of communications structure called a laptop, apparently owned by an ancient hunter-gather, as it says Hunter on it … the second a collection of things they used a hundred years ago. Well, here we go …”
“Why, oh my, goodness, well… maybe that is all we will see from that first anthropological find, as it looks like they were rather barbaric back then, and we all know after the Great-Great-Great War, any reference to Communist China, smoked drugs, and abuse of … well, let us move on. Not sure who that Hunter fellow was, but clearly he was hunting things in a rather primitive world …”
“Let’s get to the second capsule, shall we? What excitement I can see out there, in the crowd. Ok, like opening those time capsules from the earliest days, right? This is exciting!”
“Well, look at this, they apparently could not distinguish between men and women back then, grammar was a mess, had to affirm that lives matters. Odd, as we sure speak, think, and know who we are today.”
“And look at this, they still flirted with Marxism, talked about equity, class warfare, reparations for ancient injustices, even looks like some did not bother to carry their phasers. Looking at these old images, you do not see any jet packs either or levitating gas mowers, sky scooters. How funny …They thought windmills were the thing, like the 1600s. Sheesh, how unhappy they look in those masks.”
“Now, now … no laughter, they were just mixed up in their time. Look, here is a map … of America. Curious it does not have the Asia part on it, and is missing the dotted line for the southern border, but that was before the Great Regroup, return of the Happy Capitalists, before Mexicentucky and Canadabama became our 51st and 52nd States, goodness, how quaint!”
“Now look at this, they were worried about Artificial Intelligence, and of course that makes sense, since the Communists were still around, Russia not yet China’s Slavic North, and they had nuts in Washington trying to control the private sector … I will say, they had finished with leaches and bloodletting, but …”
“If you look at these pictures, these old digital and ferrotypes, almost tintypes, the sort that needed emulsion and silver … You see what they have here, and be careful, these fall apart easily … They seem to have windmills everywhere, and little cars covered in solar cells, little plug-in prongs, and my, they do all look rather upset, angry, don’t they? Well, those were the times, the Great Dark Era, as we know.”
“Yes, is that a question over there, about the photos? What is it? Well, no, we do not know really, because after the Great-Great-Great War, many sympathizers went quiet, but the idea seems to have been that they got very confused – about everything, grammar, biology, science, math, truth, freedom.”
“Why boys dressed up as girls, girls were pushed aside, everyone in politics got rich, wanted to be an American Indian, why they vilified noble police and military, and killed their babies before birth – the way China did, especially girls – we do not know. It was primitive, a time, filled with fear and ignorance.”
“What is that? The Archdiocese of Climatology? Yes, that was another mystery. Obviously, once we reforested, adopted carbon sequestration, balanced fossil and renewable fuels, and developed breeder reactors, it all seems rather silly, but back then, they thought, well, they thought the sky was falling.”
“The widescale promotion of anti-Caucasian prejudice? Yes, just another phase, like earlier ones, when people saw each other by skin type, economic, educational status, not realizing all core identifiers tie back to character, like that very compelling civil rights leader said, from the era just before theirs.”
“And what? Oh yes, those sticky things? Those were stamps, how they shuffled things about, quite inefficient, all before self-propelled drone-mail. The green paper? Well, we are not sure, but everything was green back then, kind of like a cult of green, but those were – do not laugh – paper money.”
“Ok, one more question, before we provide everyone with insta-versions, or have a version drone-dropped home, okay … you over in the corner, yes?”
“Very good point, historically insightful too – thank you! Yes, the point made by that young woman in the corner, is that this Hunter lap-pad may be part of the big scandal that rocked the 2020s, when these capsules were assembled.”
“It may be part of the whole Madoff-Epstein-Biden-Xi lawless period, when our Republic almost fell, but came out of it – with what we now call that Third Great Generation, the one after our Founders, after the WWII generation. Yes, good point, this could be a relic of that old Biden Crime Cabal, never know.”
“Well, thank you for coming. Hope the excitement was worth the time – not every day we get a glimpse of that old Dark Era. Now, enjoy your jet home, have fun, and remember updrafts near 16th and Penn!”
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC.
This was highly entertaining RBC. A good take on one possible glimpse into the world 100 years from now, as some future generation looks backwards and views our current dysfunctional time period from artifacts of our time. Obviously, you believe our current trajectory, as a nation, will get some sort of hard reset, in order to get both society and the nation back on some semblance of what used to be defined as normalcy. It’s good that you skimmed over that very messy part required to accomplish such a reset, because otherwise the tone of the article towards the end would have had to reflect some mention of the true costs required to restore that normalcy. All in all, this was a very enjoyable read about what one version of our future might look like, if the American people actually had the will to stand up to those intent on dismantling our republic. Good fiction is always a fun read.
Great dystopian tale. It truly brought some much needed humor to my day. The fact that you are so well-read in history, science and math, gives credibility to your possible scenario. I’m an eternal optimist sprinkled with a heavy dose of hope, and a belief that good will always overcome evil, so your prediction is definitely possible. Thank you again, Bobby, for giving all of us this little moment of laughter and humor during this troubling time in the “Dark Era”.
Reading ” Time Capsule 2123 ” — was some journey, really thoughtful combination of ideas and perspectives. Something that will most likely be read many times again periodically from now on. Good stuff to think about Robert, good writing — made for true reading adventure ! So, many thoughts are presented in this article — the value of respect for Truth was apparent in my mind .And the consequences of the lack of respect for Truth , if society makes that mistake. Simplifying life , like having a respectful, uplifting sense of humor, remembering the importance of Courage, holding on to the values of Faith, Family and Freedom. Just a brief story about school experience from Grade school days 1956 to 1963. We had the basic mathematics, English grammar, reading and writing, history and geography — an experience involving a Scout project in 1961 is a good example of some genuine good stuff that could benefit education today. Our Scout group made lamps as a Scout project that year. Used empty juice cans, one quart size, a neighbor who was a carpenter/wood worker made the base part and the section that held the light socket, my Dad who was in the electrical supply business provided the electrical parts, my Mom coordinated the assembly of the lamp. She was a right capable mechanic, she made radios for airplanes in the 1940’s . The lamps worked fine, just as good as any lamp made by any lamp manufacturer. We brought the lamps to school and explained the project, how we made the lamps to the rest of the class. It was something that promoted good ideas and I reckon one could say good community spirit. Your article is much appreciated Robert , Well Done !
..
You people delete comments they were a republicans election chances lol